7 Tips for Starting a Writers’ Group – Writing Alone, Together

Of course you should start a writer’s group – what are you waiting for?! A writers’ group can increase your productivity, inspire you to write more, and motivate you to send your writing to literary agents, magazine editors, and book publishers.

When I mentioned my writing group on Twitter, and received several “I wish I belonged to a writers’ group, but there aren’t any in my area” or “My writing group disbanded – and I really miss it!” responses. Whether you’re a freelance writer, aspiring novelist, or published poet – a writers’ group can keep you motivated, disciplined, productive…and published.

First, though, let’s run through a quick list of reasons you should start (or at least join!) a group of writers…

Benefits of a writers’ group:

Information sharing, which leads to growth

Inspiration from successful experiences

Support for rejections and feelings of failure

Encouragement to keep going

Feelings of solidarity and connectedness

Feedback for your writing, article ideas, or plans

Accountability for your writing goals

Also, if one or more of the writers in the group goes to a writing conference or workshop, she can share what she learned. Not only does this benefit the other writers, it’ll help solidify the writing tips in her own brain. Teaching is a great way to really learn something 🙂

7 Tips for Starting a Writers’ Group

Don’t worry if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s what bestselling author John Irving said about taking risks as a writer:

“If you don’t feel that you are possibly on the edge of humiliating yourself, of losing control of the whole thing, then probably what you are doing isn’t very vital.” – John Irving.

I had no idea what I was doing when I started my group for writers. But guess what? I learned lots! These tips will help you start and sustain your first writing group.

1. Decide on the best place to meet

My writer’s group started in a classroom at our local elementary school and moved to our homes (we rotate through the members’ houses). We’ve also met in the pub, which wasn’t as comfortable as a home. Other great places for writers’ groups to meet include the library, an uncrowded coffee shop, or a spare room in your local community center.

2. Be clear from the beginning about the structure of your meetings

Will you read your writing out loud, and will everyone give feedback? Will you email your story, article pitch, or book proposal before the meeting? Will you write during your meetings (that wouldn’t work for me – but it may be appealing to writers who struggle with motivation or time to write)? Will you brainstorm story ideas or wrestle with plot problems?

3. Start stretching your writers’ group from Day One

Be flexible about tweaking the structure based on group dynamics, location changes, new members, etc. Instead of rigidly adhering to “the way we’re supposed to do it”, consider mixing things up a little. For instance, if you meet every two weeks, you could alternate between a critique night and a “just talking about writing” night.

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4. Be clear about what you’re looking for in a writers’ group

As I told my writing buddies last night (waving to my fellow WOBBERS! which stands for Write on Bowen 🙂 ) – I prefer sharing our writing goals, experiences, information, and inspirations. I’m not big on reading my writing out loud, nor do I love critiquing others’ writing. But, a writer’s group should be an amalgamation of what everyone needs and wants – which is where flexibility and open-mindedness comes in.

5. Develop clear guidelines for members, book genres, leaders, etc

Here are a few questions to help you set guidelines for your new writing group:

Is your group open to new writers?

Should all members write in the same genre?

How will feedback be offered?

What are the goals of your writing group?

Who will lead the meetings?

What is the purpose of your meetings? (eg, to write together, or offer feedback, or read your writing aloud, or a blend of it all?)

When you’re starting a writer’s group, it helps to have a plan. My group recently faced a dilemma involving a possible new member; we weren’t all on the same page (as it were) and we hadn’t decided beforehand if we were ready for new members.

6. Re-evaluate your writing group regularly

As a group, agree on the guidelines for meeting and sharing your writing. Then, re-evaluate your goals and practices regularly – such as every quarter or every September.

7. Consider recruiting a co-leader

When I started my writer’s group almost 10 years ago, I had a co-leader who pulled out at the last minute because of other commitments. I wasn’t happy spearheading the group on my own, so I let it wither away. One of the members encouraged me to start it up again (Maggie!) – and I’m so glad I did. It’s a smaller group and I’m not “in charge”, which made me happy..

For me, the best part of this writer’s group – besides the motivation and encouragement – is seeing how we’re achieving our goals as writers. We’re completing novels, book proposals, and articles. Together, we’re forging ahead in this crazy business – and our progress is sweeter because we savor it together.

This book will help you get organized, and learn how to critique your and others’ writing in helpful, encouraging ways. Judy discusses how to write, where to write, who to write with, how to critique, how to revise, etc. You can even form an online writers’ critique group with her tips — and improve both your group and your writing.

Thanks for your thoughts on starting a writing group, Darlene! Yes, living in a small town makes a difference to everything….from grabbing a carton of milk at the store to participating in a group that can get personal and emotional. When I started my writers group, I lived on Bowen Island, BC. Very small! Luckily, we didn’t have any problems…but I can definitely see how control issues can arise.

One of the biggest things writers have to learn how to deal with is rejection. Here’s an article I wrote, to help aspiring authors cope:

My friend and I are in the planning stage to start a writers group. Your website has been very helpful in this process. The questions you suggested for people who want to start a group are great. Some I had not thought about. There was a group before but was dissolved because of control issues. I hope we can easily address any issues/problems and move forward. Our town is small, and what I don’t want is for the group to have a bad reputation.

I haven’t encountered this situation in a writers’ group before, but I have co-facilitated many book clubs and other groups.

The way I see it, the main problem is that April refuses to acknowledge that she is causing problems in your writer’s group. It’s normal for facilitators to experience conflict with each other or group members. However, when they refuse to try to find a way to compromise, then what hope is there for moving forward?

I believe April feels threatened by a lack of control. She wants to control what your members write about, how to run the group, and what the group should look like in the new year.

Since you can’t talk to April about running your writers group in a positive and cooperative way, maybe you need to think about multiplying your group. Maybe you could come up with a format that you’d like to see happen in your group, and email that to your current members. They could have the choice to join your group or stay with April’s – or maybe stick with both!

I think that’s how I’d handle the situation, if I wanted to continue leading the writers’ group. If I wanted to take a break from facilitating, I’d just withdraw and say I need to focus on other things in my life for now.

I hope this helps a little…I hate to be a downer, but I can’t think of any way to get April “on board” with a cooperative, positive way to co-facilitate the group!

I am co-facilitator of a writing group. The group has anywhere from 5 to 7 writers at a time. I like the practice of co-facilitation and planning and have done it successfully many times in other writing groups and activities. I wanted to work together as facilitators, but April insisted that she take one week and I take another. I acceded. The women in the group range in ages from 50 to 80. We meet in a local center, and any woman who wants to join may. The women have chosen to read their work out loud and receive critique. The co-facilitator, let’s call her April, refuses to listen to other members who don’t want to be told what to write about. She has made “assignments” for in and out of class writing that I knew nothing about. When members don’t comply, she gets angry.

She also calls members and makes insinuations and negative comments about me. I only recently found out about this and consider it unprofessional. I asked to meet with her and plan together for the New Year. She refused, saying, “I am too busy.” As she walked out the door, she added, “And I won’t have any time in the near future either.” My perception, based on a year of experience, is that April, at the very least, is engaged in a power struggle. Her actions seem inappropriate, and her refusal to cooperate has the potential to tear the group apart. I am frustrated and wonder if anyone has encountered this kind of situation before. I would appreciate suggestions to help the group move forward in a positive and cooperative way.

I started a writers group on Bowen Island, BC – a very small community – by advertising with the community school. They sent out a list of new classes and groups twice a year, and it really helped to be in that!

What about the newspaper? If you have a local paper, maybe you could write an article about your new writers’ group — or you could ask if they want to write an article about you.

I recently moved to a small town and came across a co-worker at my new job who writes. She is the only one I know in this town, where literacy isn’t exactly a high general value. My question is, how do shake out the other writers who may not know? I would love to get a lot of hidden writers together–different perspectives, genres, ideas. The plan is a post at the library and perhaps a craigslist, even though I hate the idea of putting a post out there for the bots and scammers. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I’m not sure I want to start a writing group or join one. I just know that I miss fellow minded people, who write with passion, and love reading as well. This will probably eschew me to other writers, but I mostly am working on Scifi and fantasy, but not necessarily limited to those genres. I received my first rejection letter the other day for my novel SEAS OF NIGHT. I was at first dejected, but then thought deeper, and I realized, they only wanted the first five pages, and in those first few pages, the literary agency was probably right on. The novel, 389 pages in word and over 80,000 words, started slowly, like a snowball rolling down hill, it didn’t gain speed and mass until later. Oh, well. I learned something about the industry.

I absolutely had to ask… was that crackpot me? I’m kidding, of course.
Perhaps an online group would work?? I live in a very small, southern town. We have no groups here and a lot of discouragment. (get a real job, lol) But I’m feeling ya’ll.

We had a stand at the town’s Art and Crafts Open Day. We set up a flip-chart and wrote ‘The Big Chudleigh Poem’ which had contributions from 37 people aged 7 – 0+ and which was later published in the parish magazine. We signed up 18 interested writers on the day and gained a couple more via the parish magazine.

Here’s an excerpt from a great post about writers’ groups, over on “Mots Justes.”

Blogger John Fox takes a hard line [about critiquing in writers’ groups]:

“Don’t give supportive critiques. Critiques should be debilitating and harsh. The minute you start cheerleading is the minute you lose respectability. Of course you need to talk about what is good with the piece, and tell someone where to submit it, and how much work it needs (if much) before they send it out, but focus on the negative. That’s what’s helpful.”

Fellow scribes, focus on the NEGATIVES when you’re discussing a piece of writing. Yes, the writer of the piece needs to not take it personally and develop a thick skin….but the critique will make him or her a successful writer! Stay focused on that.

It might help to have one or two friends to start it. Also, try posting a notice at the local library, coffee shops, etc.
Do a search on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin to find locals who are interested in writing.

An effective tip for starting a writer’s group is to keep meeting, even if it’s just you! Set your schedule (eg, every 2nd Wednesdays at 7 pm), and get into the habit of showing up. You’ll create momentum and draw other writers…and soon you’ll be fighting off new members!

I am part of WOB, Laurie’s writing group and love it! I find our particular group’s goal of “getting published,” invaluable. It has helped me give up my attachment to procratination in favour of personal accountability. The process has been gentle. There are no demands from the group only the focus during meetings of each member’s progress; encouragement and feedback between meetings. The shared knowledge and expectation of success from each member is a nudge forward, a current quietly drawing a pebble into the main flow of the stream.

Wonderful article Laurie – bang on with all the aspects to look at and be clear with. I would reiterate the importance of being clear about what type of writing group you want to join, be a part of, or start up – what do you want to get out of it and what do you want to offer? Having a clear intention for lead you to the best outcome.

Kelly asked me on Twitter: How do you find writers in your area interested in forming a group?

Ask at your local smaller bookstores or libraries about possible members — and post signs on their bulletin boards. Try Craig’s List. Or, place a newspaper ad — some small local newspapers give free ads or space for nonprofit information. Also, try community centers or continuing education institutions.

We’re lucky on Bowen Island, because we have a community forum on which we post news, opinions, questions, and info about stuff like new writer’s groups! If your community or city has a shared space, it could work to find other writers.

And — some city halls or official city websites have space for local community groups. Some have calendars that display the meeting times, group descriptions, etc.

Anyone else have any tips for finding fellow writers? That’s a great question!